Method of shaping shoe uppers



May 11, 1943. P, H, WON 2,318,678.

METHOD OF SHAPING SHOE UPPERS Original Filed 001;. 18, 1940 Patented May 11, 1943 NT oFFIcE METHOD OF SHAPING SHOE UPPERS Paul H. Dixon, Wenham, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation,Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Original application October 18, 1940,, Serial No. 361,733. Divided and this application April 2, 1341, Serial No. 38$,396

Claims.

This invention relates to methods of shaping shoe uppers and is herein illustrated in its application to methods of making prewelt shoes involving the premolding of the upper before attaching the welt.

In the manufacture of prewelt shoes, it is the usual practice to stitch the welting to the lasting margin of the upper before shaping the upper over the last. This practice is dictated by considerations of economy and production and not by the principles of good shoemaking since it is quite clear that from the shoemaking standpoint it would be more desirable to shape the upper-particularly the toe portion thereof---be-v fore stitching the welt to the lasting margin because the presence of the welt and the welt-attaching seam hinder the shaping of the upper over the last.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a practical method of making prewelt shoes in which the upper is premolded before the welt is attached to its lasting margin.

With this object in view, the present invention in one aspect thereof comprises a method of making prewelt shoes which consists in initially molding the forepart of the upper off the last, such initial molding including inwardly fianging the lasting margin thereby to bring it into the most advantageous position for attaching a welt to the inwardly flanged lasting margin of the premolded upper, attaching a welt to the lasting margin of the premolded upper, mounting the welted upper upon a last, completing the shaping of the upper, and bottoming of the shoe in any known manner. While it is usually pref: erable to employ a last in the shaping and hottoming of the shoe as above stated, it is never theless within the scope of the present invention to complete the manufacture of the shoe without the aid of a last.

As herein illustrated, the present method 0 making prewelt shoes consists in tensioning the forepart of an upper heightwise thereof, while maintaining such heightwise tension, pressing the peripheral portion of the forepart outwardly to create a bulge therein and to flange inwardly the bottom margin of the upper, then attaching a welt to said bottom margin and completing the shoe.

The invention hereinafter described and claimed is a division of United States Letters Patent No. 2,302,750, granted November 24, 1942, on my application.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing which illus- Iii) trates the practice of my novel method with the aid of the shaping means illustrated in my copending application above referred to.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a sectional elevation showing a shoe upper held by its bottom margin between the clamping members of said upper shaping means;

Figs. 3, and 4 are sectional views similar to Fig. 1 illustrating the progressive stages in the shaping of the upper; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the forepart of a prewelt upper shaped in accordance with my novel method the toe portion of the welt and upper being shown in section.

In the practice of my novel method, as herein illustrated,an upper is arranged in upright position and its forepart is outspread and positioned on a work supporting member or table Ill, as shown-in Fig. 1, with its edge in contact with a work engaging shoulder 12 on said table, said shoulder serving to position the margin of the fcrepart of the upper with relation to operating instrumentalities herein illustrated. While the operator holds the upper in position on said table with one hand, he operates a lever (not shown) with the other hand to move a presser member Hi downwardly into its work engaging position illustrated in Fig. 1. The presser memher !4 is provided with a central recess having the shape of the peripheral contour which is to be imparted to the forepart of the upper. The wall IE of this central recess is shaped to provide an outer mold against which the periphery of the forepart of the upper is shaped. After operating the presser member to grip the margin of the upper against the table, the operator depresses a treadle (not shown) to impart upward movement to a retarder l8 and an inner mold 20. During the movement of said parts upwardly from their position in Fig. 1 to their position in Fig. 2, the retarder l8 yieldingly grips the upper against the lower rounded margin of the inner portion of the presser member l4 thereby to maintain a tension on the forepart of the upper during the initial stage of the upper shaping operation. While the upper is thus held under tension by the retarder, the inner mold continues its upward movement until its top plate 22 is arrested, whereupon a presser member 24, moving upwardly toward the top plate 22, acts against a compressible member 26, which is the lower element of the mold 211, to expand it outwardly and mold .the periphery of the upper against the wall 16 of the presser member M, as shown in Fig. 4. The .member 26 expands to a predetermined extent that portion of the upper on which it operates, or more specifically stated, it increases the pheripheral dimension of that portion of the upper. During the progress of the shaping operation from its stage illustrated in Fig. 3, to its stage illustrated in Fig. 4, the tension on the forepart of the upper initially maintained by the retarder l8 is maintained by the action of the expanding member 26 of the inner mold which presses the bottom margin of the upper against the wall l6 of the presser member. Referring to Fig. 5, the illustrated upper 28, after it has been molded, as above described, is provided With an outsole attaching welt 30. It will be seen that the inward inclination of the bottom margin of the upper causes the welt to be arranged in a position such that no considerable stretching or turning of the welted margin at the forepart of the upper is required in positioning the welt for attachment to an outsole. Furthermore, the reduction in the length of the bottom margin of the forepart of the upper effected in the upper shaping operation above described reduces the length of welting required for the upper and the required welting, being of a length comparable to the length of the periphery of the outsole, is very readily prepared for the outsole attaching operation.

While the method of the present invention, as herein illustrated, is practiced in conjunction with the operation of the upper shaping means, illustrated in my patent above referred to, it is to be understood that the present invention is not thus limited in its scope, it being within the scope of the present invention to practice the present method by means other than that, herein illustrated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. That method of making prewelt shoes which comprises initially molding the forepart of an upper off the last including inwardly flanging the lasting margin, attaching a welt to the lasting margin of the premolded upper, mounting the welted upper upon a last, completing the shaping of the upper, and bottoming the shoe.

2. That method of making prewelt shoes which comprises molding the forepart and fianging inwardly the bottom margin of an upper off the last, attaching a welt to the inwardly flanged bottom margin, and bottoming the shoe.

3. That method of making prewelt shoes which comprises premolding the forepart of an upper by contracting and inwardly turning the lasting margin, and expanding the peripheral portion adjacent to the lasting margin, attaching a welt to the lasting margin, mounting the prewelted upper upon a last, lasting the upper, and co'm pleting the shoe.

4. That method of making prewelt shoes which comprises tensioning the forepart of an upper heightwise thereof, while maintaining such heightwise tension pressing the peripheral portion of the forepart outwardly to create a bulge therein and to flange inwardly the bottom margin of the upper, then attaching a welt to said bottom margin, and completing the shoe.

5. That method of making prewelt shoes which comprises tensioning the forepart of an upper heightwise thereof, while the upper is held under heightwise tension expanding the peripheral portion of the forepart at an intermediate location between the top of the upper and the edge of its lasting margin to create a bulge therein and to form therein an inwardly flanged lasting margin, attaching a welt to the lasting margin, mounting the prewelted upper upon a last, lasting the upper, and completing the shoe.

PAUL H. DDKON. 

